Georgia Electricity Rates
Rate data for Georgia is being refreshed. The regulator and market facts below are current; figures return with the next data load.
Can you choose your electricity supplier in Georgia?
No. Georgia has not opened its residential electricity market to competition, so the utility that delivers your power also sells it. Its prices are set in rate cases before the Georgia Public Service Commission, and the rate you pay depends on which utility serves your address, your rate schedule, and the season.
Grid operator: No RTO; Southeast bilateral market (SERC). Wholesale power costs flow through to retail bills on the regulator's schedule rather than month to month, which is why regulated-state rates move more slowly than the market-based states listed below.
Want to shop for a supplier? Retail choice is open on this site in Massachusetts, New Jersey, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington DC.
There is nothing to shop for in Georgia: your address decides whether you are a Georgia Power customer or an owner-member of one of 41 EMCs (paying a membership fee, $5 at Jackson, Sawnee and Walton, and later collecting capital-credit refunds) or a city system, and the price gap is real (the PSC's summer 2026 rate survey, as quoted by Cobb EMC, puts Cobb's average bill at $108 against a $148.14 state average), so the one choice that matters is which rate plan you pick (Cobb EMC gives new members 60 days to switch).
Who will deliver your power in Georgia
The utility is fixed by your address. These are the largest in the state, with what each says it needs from a new customer.
Georgia Powerinvestor-owned
The only investor-owned electric utility the Georgia PSC lists, fully regulated by the PSC, serving 155 of Georgia's 159 counties. About 2.7 million (per Georgia PSC); Southern Company's July 2025 release says 2.8 million.
Apply online or at 1-888-660-5890; service is connected every day except weekends and business holidays, with next-day service for requests entered before midnight (not for new homes needing installation or construction), and you will need the primary account holder's Social Security number plus an Account Establishment Charge on the first bill. A security deposit depends on your credit score, can be up to two times the residence's average monthly bill, cannot be waived, earns 3 percent simple interest, is refunded with interest after 12 consecutive months of on-time payments, and transfers with you if you move within Georgia Power territory.
Start service with Georgia Power →Sources: georgiapower.com, georgiapower.com, psc.ga.gov, southerncompany.mediaroom.com
Jackson EMCcooperative
Largest of Georgia's 41 EMCs, headquartered in Jefferson, serving a 10-county area stretching from metro Atlanta north to Gainesville and east to Athens: Gwinnett, Hall, Jackson, Barrow, Madison, Clarke, Banks, Lumpkin, Franklin and Oglethorpe counties. About 275,986 meters, of which 249,066 residential (per Jackson EMC, updated April 23, 2026).
Online requests are processed 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday up to 90 days in advance, must be for a future date, and need a minimum of 24 hours' notice; the form asks for your Social Security number and driver's license. A $5.00 membership fee and a $30.00 connection fee go on the first bill; deposits are set by an Equifax credit check (you may be asked to pay at an office and show photo ID), are returned as a bill credit after two years of service if you kept a good payment record over the previous 12 months, and the PrePay program requires no deposit (1-800-462-3691, Monday-Friday 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.).
Start service with Jackson EMC →Sources: jacksonemc.com, jacksonemc.com
Cobb EMCcooperative
Not-for-profit, member-owned cooperative based in Marietta serving Cobb, Bartow, Cherokee, Fulton and Paulding counties. About more than 200,000 residential and commercial members (per Cobb EMC).
Online requests need two business days to process; by phone (770-429-2100, Monday-Friday 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.) call at least one business day before your connect date, and same-day service (extra $20 connect fee) is phone or in-person only; service is scheduled Monday through Friday. A $30 service establishment fee goes on the first bill, a soft Equifax credit review decides whether a deposit is required (lift any credit freeze first), in-person applicants bring a lease or purchase agreement, photo ID and Social Security card, and new members have 60 days after starting service to switch rate plans.
Start service with Cobb EMC →Sources: cobbemc.com, cobbemc.com, cobbemc.com, cobbemc.com
Sawnee EMCcooperative
Cooperative serving parts of seven counties north of Atlanta: Forsyth, Gwinnett, Fulton, Cherokee, Dawson, Lumpkin and Hall. About 205,171 meters (per Sawnee EMC, as of August 31, 2026).
Service is set up in person at the main office or through the Customer Service Center at (770) 887-2363, with a signed membership application and a $5.00 membership fee. Any deposit is set under Policy 307 (Service Security Deposit - Residential) from the score a new member receives through Equifax's energy-industry credit scoring; reconnecting an existing meter carries a $75.00 standard service fee, temporary service a $300.00 non-refundable construction fee, and same-day service, long line extensions or underground service may cost extra.
Start service with Sawnee EMC →Sources: sawnee.coop, sawnee.coop, sawnee.coop
Walton EMCcooperative
Customer-owned cooperative serving 10 northeast Georgia counties from offices in Monroe, Snellville and Watkinsville. About nearly 145,000 customer-owners, business and industrial accounts (per Walton EMC).
Start service online, by phone at 770-267-2505 (Monday-Friday 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.) or in person at the Monroe, Snellville or Watkinsville offices (weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.). Under the April 2024 Service Rules, every applicant pays a $5.00 membership fee (refunded when membership ends) plus a $30.00 non-refundable account establishment fee, and the residential deposit is $300, $150 or none depending on the delinquency-risk score from a credit check run through Online Utility Exchange (Experian and/or TransUnion); deposits earn interest credited to the December bill each year and are refunded when service ends.
Start service with Walton EMC →Sources: waltonemc.com, waltonemc.com, waltonemc.com
Marietta Power (City of Marietta, a MEAG Power participant)municipal
City-owned electric utility for Marietta, one of the 49 Georgia public power communities that buy wholesale power through MEAG Power (others include Albany, Cartersville, Griffin, LaGrange, Lawrenceville, Newnan, Norcross and Thomasville).
Apply by phone (770-794-5150), in person at 675 North Marietta Parkway with a valid unexpired driver's license, state ID or passport (a Social Security number is not required, a lease or proof of ownership may be), or by emailing the application to thepowerservice@mariettaga.gov; requests are handled weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. with at least one business day's notice; the office is closed on weekends and holidays. The residential electric deposit is $200 ($275 with water), waived if you had Marietta Power service in the past year with 12 months of good credit and possibly lowered after an authorized credit check, held for the life of the account with interest paid yearly, and a non-refundable $25 service charge appears on the first bill.
Start service with Marietta Power →Sources: mariettaga.gov, mariettaga.gov, meagpower.org
Deposits, ID, and supplier choice in Georgia
Deposits. For Georgia Power customers, PSC Rule 515-3-1-.10(e) caps a cash deposit at two-and-one-half twelfths of the estimated charge for the next twelve months (roughly 21 percent of a year's bills, so $1,300 of annual bills means a maximum of about $273), or one-half of the season's estimated charge for seasonal service. The PSC has only limited authority over the 41 EMCs and 52 municipal systems, so their deposits follow their own rules (for example Walton EMC's $0/$150/$300 risk tiers or Marietta's flat $200). (psc.ga.gov)
Choosing a supplier. No. Georgia has no residential retail choice; your address sits in the exclusive territory of Georgia Power, one of 41 EMCs or one of 52 municipal systems, and the only competition is the 1973 Territorial Electric Service Act's one-time choice of supplier for new manufacturing or commercial loads of 900 kW or more (later transfers need all parties to agree), per the Georgia PSC.
Georgia Power may not disconnect residential service for nonpayment when a National Weather Service Heat Advisory or Excessive Heat Warning is in effect or forecast for the meter's county before 8 a.m. on the disconnection date, nor between November 15 and March 15 when the forecast is below 32°F for the 24 hours starting 8 a.m. (if you agree in writing to pay the balance in installments after March 15); bills are due at least 21 days after the meter reading, disconnection can follow 45 days after the statement date with at least 5 days' written notice, and a certified serious illness blocks disconnection. Georgia's EMCs are member-owned, not-for-profit utilities serving about 5 million of the state's 10 million residents and 73 percent of its land area, so roughly half of Georgians are co-op members.
Sources: psc.ga.gov, psc.ga.gov, psc.ga.gov, georgiaemc.com
Help paying an electric bill in Georgia
LIHEAP (Georgia) — Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program
Georgia Department of Human Services, Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS), through local Community Action Agencies
U.S. citizens or legally admitted immigrants with gross annual household income at or below 60% of the state median income who are responsible for paying the primary home heating bill (households with a $1,000-or-more credit on the energy bill are not eligible). Heating applications open the first workday of December for people 65+ or medically homebound and the first workday of January for everyone else; cooling opens the first workday of April (65+/homebound) and May (all), first-come first-served through your county's Community Action Agency; DFCS main line (877) 423-4746.
Sources: dfcs.georgia.gov, psc.ga.gov
Weatherization Assistance Program (Georgia)
Georgia Environmental Finance Authority (GEFA), delivered by local Community Action Agencies with U.S. DOE and HHS funding
Households with income not exceeding 200 percent of the federal poverty level, with priority for the elderly, people with disabilities and families with children; single-family, manufactured and multifamily homes qualify for audit-based measures such as air and duct sealing, insulation and HVAC improvements, and some counties keep a waiting list.
Sources: gefa.georgia.gov, psc.ga.gov
Georgia Power Income-Qualified Discount
Georgia Power
Customers who receive SSI or SSDI, hold a HUD Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher, or are 65 or older, with household income at or below 200% of the federal poverty guidelines ($31,920 a year for one person, $66,000 for four, plus $11,000 per additional person); the PSC says the discount is worth up to $33.50 a month off the metered electric and fuel cost recovery charges, with the SSI/SSDI/Section 8 expansion effective May 2024.
Sources: georgiapower.com, psc.ga.gov, psc.ga.gov
The Salvation Army (statewide program listed by the Georgia PSC)
Statewide utility-bill assistance program; apply through the Salvation Army at 1-800-25SHARE or your power company's customer service number (eligibility rules are not published on the PSC or Georgia Power pages).
Sources: psc.ga.gov, georgiapower.com
Georgia Power EASE (Energy Assistance for Savings & Efficiency)
Georgia Power
Georgia Power customers with household income at or below 300% of the federal poverty guidelines ($47,880 for one person, $99,000 for four) get free energy-saving upgrades such as attic insulation and smart thermostats; EASE for Seniors (age 60+, owner-occupied) adds free attic insulation and weatherization, and EASE Prefab gives manufactured-home customers free smart thermostats and low-flow showerheads.
Source: georgiapower.com
Programs that change what you pay
- Rooftop solar (net metering)limited
- Georgia Power's open rooftop program is RNR-11 Instantaneous Netting, not retail-rate net metering: residential systems up to 10 kW AC are credited for excess kWh sent to the grid at the annual Solar Avoided Cost Rate (3.2188¢/kWh for 2026) plus the extra 4¢/kWh the PSC approved in the 2022 rate case, summed monthly against the bill, first-come first-served until renewable capacity reaches 0.2% of the prior year's peak demand, with a $100 interconnection fee for systems up to 250 kW AC.
Source: georgiapower.com
- Community solaravailable
- Georgia Power's Community Solar program lets any customer on the standard residential rate subscribe to 1 kW blocks of utility solar farms for $24.00 per block per month, with each block estimated to produce 115-215 kWh a month (about 165 kWh average) credited on the bill; subscriptions are filled first-come first-served with a waiting list when full.
Source: georgiapower.com
- Time-of-use ratesavailable
- Georgia Power's Nights & Weekends plan prices on-peak usage from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays June through September (everything else, including all weekends, Independence Day and Labor Day, is off-peak) and warns you may see a higher bill if you do not shift usage; Smart Usage and Overnight Advantage are the other residential options listed, and Cobb EMC says it was the first EMC in the nation to offer free overnight EV charging.
Source: georgiapower.com
Questions people ask before moving to Georgia
How far ahead should I set up electricity before moving to Georgia?
A few business days is enough at an existing address: Georgia Power offers next-day connection for requests entered before midnight (weekdays only, not new construction), Jackson EMC needs at least 24 hours and takes online requests up to 90 days ahead, Cobb EMC asks for two business days online or one by phone, and Marietta Power needs one business day and never connects same-day, on weekends or on holidays.
Sources: georgiapower.com, jacksonemc.com, cobbemc.com, mariettaga.gov
Will I have to pay a deposit to turn on power in Georgia?
Usually only if your credit check says so: Georgia Power bases the decision on your credit score and caps the deposit at twice the home's average monthly bill (refunded with 3% interest after 12 consecutive months of on-time payments), Walton EMC charges $300, $150 or nothing by delinquency-risk tier, Jackson EMC and Cobb EMC use an Equifax check (Jackson refunds after two years of good payment, or skip the deposit with PrePay), and Marietta Power charges a flat $200 unless you had its service in the past year with a good credit rating for at least 12 months.
Sources: georgiapower.com, waltonemc.com, jacksonemc.com, cobbemc.com, mariettaga.gov
Can I shop for a cheaper electricity supplier in Georgia?
No. Georgia never deregulated residential supply; your address is assigned to Georgia Power, one of 41 EMCs or one of 52 municipal systems, and the 1973 Territorial Electric Service Act's one-time choice of supplier applies only to new commercial or manufacturing loads of 900 kW or more.
Source: psc.ga.gov
What does it mean that my new utility is an EMC, and what are capital credits?
An EMC is a member-owned, not-for-profit cooperative, so you pay a small membership fee ($5 at Jackson, Sawnee and Walton) and become an owner who can vote for the board; revenue left over after costs is allocated to members and later paid back as capital credits or margin refunds (Cobb EMC is returning $10.8 million in 2026, Walton about $11 million in 2025, Jackson $16 million in December 2024), so keep a forwarding address when you move or your share can go unclaimed.
Sources: cobbemc.com, waltonemc.com, jacksonemc.com, sawnee.coop, sawnee.coop, waltonemc.com, jacksonemc.com
Are Georgia Power rates going up because of Plant Vogtle?
Both new reactors are already running: Unit 3 entered commercial operation July 31, 2023 and Unit 4 on April 29, 2024, per Georgia Power. Since then the PSC froze Georgia Power base rates through at least the end of 2028 (July 1, 2025) and on May 28, 2026 approved fuel and storm-cost changes that cut the typical 1,000 kWh residential bill by about $4.04 a month (about $50 a year), with a further $102-a-year saving committed from 2029.
Sources: georgiapower.com, southerncompany.mediaroom.com, georgiapower.com
Researched 2026-10-16 from utility, regulator, and agency pages; every statement links to where it was read. Rules change: confirm deposits and program dates with the utility or agency before you rely on them.
Every state ranked by residential rate, updated weekly: Electricity Rates by State →